Once an ‘eyesore,’ renovated Ralston Tower to reopen in Columbus for the sick and elderly

The Ralston Tower was the worst building Gregory Jones, chief investment officer at Infinity Capital Partners, had ever been in.

It was an eyesore in the heart of downtown Columbus, he told the Ledger-Enquirer.

“We walk by it,” Jones said. “And it’s just uncomfortable. It felt off — felt bad.”

Jones’ Atlanta-based company took ownership of the tower after it was closed because of poor living conditions that led to one resident dying because of extreme heat.

The company renovated Ralston Tower as project-based HUD Section 8 housing and will reopen the building for mostly elderly and disabled residents with a grand opening scheduled for Aug. 30.

Ralston Tower has 269 units, Jones said, and 223 of those will be set aside for elderly and disabled. The remaining one-bedroom units will be available for market rate, he said, which is around $1,000 a month for rent.

What began as a simple acquisition became the biggest project his team has ever done, Jones said.

“Being a part of turning that around is what we do,” he said. “It’s a great feeling when you see something like this come together.”

Although the project became much bigger than anticipated, Jones said, he does not regret the money spent in renovating the building for future residents.

“Now, you’re going to see a fresh, vibrant place with residents who have things to do,” he said. “It will bring positive energy to that area”

Prioritizing safety

During the renovation, Infinity Capital Partners redid the heating and cooling system, Jones said, so Ralston Tower is now well air conditioned for its new residents.

Along with the heat, other issues past residents dealt with included malfunctioning elevators, rats, roaches and other dangerous living conditions.

Jones’ team replaced the roof, elevator mechanics and spent millions of dollars on plumbing and electrical work, he said. The company also made a lot of other changes to the building to increase safety, Jones said, including grounding electric plugs and adding sprinklers to all of the units.

There was also a complete rehabilitation of every interior unit, he said. Everything in them will be new, Jones said, including the cabinets, microwaves and other amenities in the rooms.

The company’s focus was on making Ralston Tower a safer place for residents, Jones said.

“We expect it to be a pretty stable property,” he said. “And hopefully that makes it better for the community. You have happier residents when they don’t have leaks and plumbing issues. And that’s why we’re excited about it.”

A better quality of living

Along with ensuring that units were safe, Jones also made it a priority to ensure that Ralston Tower residents’ other health, medical and social needs were met.

“I believe very much that residents who can’t afford a lot of the things that a lot of us can afford should be in places where they can have access to what they truly need like food, church and medical services,” he said.

Jones’ experience with previous projects that he’s worked on showed him that there is a need to ensure that everyone has access to healthy food.

One way Ralston Tower will meet that need is through the newly renovated commercial kitchen, a reminder of the building’s former life as a hotel. Residents will have the option to eat meals prepared for them by caterers in a dining area, Jones said.

The community area will be a place where residents can socialize and learn, he said. Social coordinators will also be brought in who will give residents the opportunity to go out and attend events.

Previously, the community area only consisted of a pool table, Jones said. But now residents have access to a Business Center, computers, arts and crafts, a game center and a lounge area.

More amenities and services will continue to be added, he said, including a salon, physical therapy and a movie room.

“It’s gigantic community space,” Jones said. “Having different amenities, having the ability to gather and eat together, will be much better for the residents.”

History of Ralston Tower and affordable housing

On July 6, 2017, Charles Hart, 62, was found dead in a room in Ralston Tower where the temperature was more than 98 degrees, weeks after residents petitioned in May to have the air conditioning repaired.

“There was no proper air conditioning in the building,” Jones said. “It was old, and too small, frankly, for the size of the building.”

In 2019, a month after a Muscogee State Court jury granted a $125 million award to Hart’s daughter, the facility’s New Jersey-based manager PF Holdings was notified that the building failed a recent inspection by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Ralston Tower was closed in 2020.

Early in 2020, HUD contacted The Housing Authority of Columbus, Georgia, said John Casteel, chief assisted housing officer.

The Ralston Tower is project-based Section 8 housing, which means vouchers are tied to the building. Residents do not keep them if they move out.

As such, the building isn’t affiliated with the Housing Authority, but the organization was given hundreds of tenant-based vouchers in 2020 to help former Ralston Tower residents move out into new housing.

The building’s closing, along with a couple of other housing complexes in Columbus that needed to relocate residents, significantly increased the need for affordable housing in the city, Casteel said.

The Housing Authority’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program has around 1,000 individuals and families on the waiting list, Lisa Walters, CEO of the Housing Authority, told the Ledger-Enquirer.

Housing has been hard to find for voucher holders because of increased rental rates, Walters said.

Despite not being directly affiliated with Ralston Tower, Casteel said, the affordable housing option reopening will still help shorten the Housing Authority’s waitlist.

“If there’s more options for the elderly and disabled, that creates additional options for the family side,” he said.

Ultimately, the Infinity Capital Partners has focused on making the Ralston Tower be an additive to the Columbus community, Jones said.

“We want residents to be a positive presence in the community,” he said. “And to have good things available and to live a good quality of life.”